Following the release of data on thousands of companies and individuals registered with Appleby, the law firm at the heart of the Paradise Papers scandal, Susana Ruiz, Oxfam’s policy advisor on tax said:
“The thousands of companies and individuals exposed by this leak prove tax dodging is not limited to a few bad apples – it is happening on an industrial scale.
“Appleby is just one of many offshore companies helping corporations and the super-rich cheat countries out of billions in tax revenues, including an estimated $170 billion from the world’s poorest countries.
“Current tax reforms have barely scratched the surface. The public are growing tired of weak reforms and partial answers. They want to see real solutions starting with the creation of an objective global tax haven blacklist, and new rules that require corporations to make financial reports publicly available for every country where they operate so it clear if they are paying their fair share of tax.”
Notes to editors
The data released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists is available here.
Oxfam’s 5-point plan to stop the scandals calls on governments to:
- Agree a global blacklist of tax havens based on comprehensive objective criteria and take strong counter-measures including sanctions to limit their use.
- End tax secrecy for the super-rich by establishing a centralized public register of the individuals who own and benefit from shell companies, trusts and foundations publicly available.
- End corporate tax secrecy by ensuring all multinational companies make financial reports publicly available for every country where they operate.
- Create a global tax body where all countries can work together on an equal footing to agree the fundamental tax reforms that are needed to ensure the tax system works for everyone.
- Rebalance tax deals by making sure tax treaties do not exploit developing countries tax bases.
Contact information
Anna Ratcliff - mobile: +44 7796993288, email: anna.ratcliff@oxfam.org or Twitter: @ratcliff_anna
For updates, please follow @Oxfam.
Join the movement to End Tax Havens
The data released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists is available here.
Oxfam’s 5-point plan to stop the scandals calls on governments to:
- Agree a global blacklist of tax havens based on comprehensive objective criteria and take strong counter-measures including sanctions to limit their use.
- End tax secrecy for the super-rich by establishing a centralized public register of the individuals who own and benefit from shell companies, trusts and foundations publicly available.
- End corporate tax secrecy by ensuring all multinational companies make financial reports publicly available for every country where they operate.
- Create a global tax body where all countries can work together on an equal footing to agree the fundamental tax reforms that are needed to ensure the tax system works for everyone.
- Rebalance tax deals by making sure tax treaties do not exploit developing countries tax bases.
Anna Ratcliff - mobile: +44 7796993288, email: anna.ratcliff@oxfam.org or Twitter: @ratcliff_anna
For updates, please follow @Oxfam.
Join the movement to End Tax Havens